Surviving ELE (ELE Series #4) (14 page)

I shiver under the moonlight, noticing the weather has gotten even cooler. It’s a weird feeling knowing this shouldn’t be the case. Alec unzips his coat and drapes it over my shoulders. “Thanks,” I whisper. He nods his head and moves up towards the front of our group.

Tony places his arm around me and
squeezes. I tense up at his touch. He starts to loosen his grip, realizing that he’s made me uncomfortable, so I quickly reach up, grab his hand, and lace it in mine. We both relax our posture. It’s going to take a while to get used to the fact Tony’s back to normal. He isn’t going to turn all Zack zombie-monster on me again... Hopefully.

The walk back to Erik’s camp is done mostly in
silence. It takes us several hours in the dark to travel, but we eventually make it.

As soon as we set foot on the camp grounds, several of Erik’s soldiers meet us and help us
inside. Steaming hot chocolate is waiting in the mess hall, along with some dinner leftovers. I greedily take a cup and warm my hands. It has to be in the forties outside…far too cold for the thin jeans and t-shirt I’m wearing.

I’m thankful Alec lent me his
jacket. I would have been an icicle before we got here had it not been for him. I eye him sitting at a table, talking with Marya. She looks relieved to see him. I begin to warm up, so I take the jacket off, walk over, and hand it to Alec. He gratefully accepts it and slips it back on.

“Thanks for keeping it warm,” he playfully tells me.

I smile and try not to look at Marya and him awkwardly. “Thanks for aiding in the keep Willow warm project.” That one gets a laugh out of Marya. I wave by to them and go in search of Tony.

I find Tony standing in a corner by
himself. The others have given him a wide girth. I can feel the tension in the room and know it’s partly due to his presence. I walk over to him, making sure to check his eyes before I wrap my hands around his middle. I hug him tightly, afraid to let him go. Afraid I’ll lose him again.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he tells me, kissing the top of my head.

Erik walks into the room and finds us. “Hey, Willow, can we speak for a minute in private?”

“Is that cool?”
I ask Tony in my mind. He doesn’t answer me. I look up at his eyes and he gives me that smile that says it’s fine. I’m going to miss not being able to talk to him in our own private way. “I’ll be right back,” I say and squeeze Tony’s middle before walking away.

Erik and I walk into his conference room. He closes the door and purses his
lips. I can tell he’s trying to figure out how to ask a question that’s on his mind. He shifts his feet on the floor and hesitates. He opens his mouth, and then closes it a few times.

“Erik, whatever you have to say, just say
it. I’m not going to get mad,” I urge him.

He studies me for a moment and then says, “Okay...” He runs his hand through his dark hair. “I’m not comfortable having Tony
here. I’m just being honest, Willow. I’m in charge of keeping a lot of people safe and I’m not sure if having him stay here is the best idea.” He looks torn and relieved at the same time.

I was afraid he would feel this way. Erik is very protective of his people and he doesn’t take strangers into his home easily.
I think about my response for a minute before actually saying it. “I completely understand. Maybe it’ll be a good idea to take Tony away for a few days to make sure all is well. Then, if he shows no signs of a relapse, we’ll come back when we know all is safe.”

He runs his hand under his chin in thought, and then nods his
head. “Three days. If by the third day you haven’t seen anything happen that would raise a red flag, you can bring him back here.”

I
nod. I think that’s only fair and, honestly, it’s a huge concession for Erik to make for me. “Can we at least stay here tonight?” I ask, even though I’m pretty sure of the answer.

Erik shakes his head.

He doesn’t need to explain. I nod my head in silent understanding. I put my hand out to him and we shake on it. Erik opens the door for me and we walk back to the main room together.

I smile at Tony when I see him standing right where I left
him. He greets me with open arms and I gladly accept them as they wrap around me. Looking up at him, I say, “We need to talk.” A look of concern flashes across his features. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad,” I assure him, although I guess it could be bad seeing as how we are going to go out on our own, while everyone else is out there hunting me down.

“Okay,” Tony says. His tone shows me that he’s still worried. He looks at Erik, who doesn’t look too happy to see him.

“Meet me in the hall?” I ask. “I need a quick second.”

He nods his head and exits the mess hall.

I grab Alec, Connor, and Claire really fast, and lead them out to the hall. Marya follows us out, probably because Alec naturally grabs her hand. I can’t help but feel a little ping of annoyance. I guess I don’t feel like she belongs in our little clique, but that seems mean, so I brush it off. I have to get used to her presence if they are going to be together.

We grab Tony along the way and I take them back to the room where Erik and I just
were. We all take a seat at the small, circular table.

“Alright,” I begin once the door’s closed and I have everyone’s attention. I notice Connor has taken his dinner plate in here with him and is nibbling on a chicken bone. I laugh inwardly and then get back to business. “I just spoke with Erik and he has some reasonable concerns he’d like me to
address.” Everyone waits expectantly so I continue. “I understand what Erik is saying. His main responsibility here is to keep everyone safe. He feels like that could be compromised if Tony were to stay here at the camp. And I have to agree with him to some extent.” I glance over to Tony, who I can tell is battling between understanding and feeling hurt by my words. “Anyhow, we’ve hashed out a plan so we can get what we both want: he wants safety and I want Tony.” My face heats up, realizing how that just sounded. I don’t look at Tony when I continue, “The plan is this: Tony and I will go somewhere and stay there for three days. If Tony exhibits no signs or symptoms of being controlled by Zack, then we’ll come back here.”

I look up to see Tony’s expression perk
up. His emotions roll off him and I can’t help but sense them. It’s clear that he’s excited, yet scared, about spending three days alone with me. He doesn’t feel like Zack is going to take over again, but he can’t help but feel like he isn’t safe for me. Like a seesaw, the feelings switch back to excitement about having time with me alone. I try not to blush but fail miserably.

Alec intercedes, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,
Willow. I don’t like the idea that you’ll be with Tony alone. What if something happens and he returns to the way he was? If you’re alone with him, you may not be able to defend yourself properly.”

Marya crosses her arms
defensively. I can tell she’s slightly jealous at Alec’s concern. This only makes me smile. I wipe it off my face quickly, to address Alec’s fear.

Before I can speak, Claire chimes in.
“I agree with Alec, Willow. He’s right. I think it would be nice if we could all go somewhere together and just hang out for three days. God only knows I’ve needed a break and I’d love to spend time together like we used to. I miss having you all around.”

“Yeah, vacation!” Connor adds, pointing his chicken bone at me.

My eyes perk up. That sounds really fun actually. Even if it’s not just Tony and me, it will be Tony, me, and all of our closest friends. The friends I love will be with me... Oh, and Marya.

I nod my head to agree with
Claire. “I like that idea.” I turn to Tony. I’d been thinking that we could venture out and try to find Lee and our people. I’d love to see my father and Sabby to make sure they are alright. I’m sure Connor wants to see his family too. I know that’s not the best move though. The last thing I need right now is to lead Zack and his army towards them. “Tony, do you think we’d be able to go to your old cabin by the lake for a few days? It’s the only place I can think of that would be a good fit for our situation.”

Tony begins to relax for the first time
tonight. I believe in him, his friends believe in him, maybe now he believes in himself. He nods his head and with his cool demeanor says, “Yeah, I think we can arrange that.”

All of us smile and agree to gather our things and meet back here in twenty minutes. Before we leave the room, I call to Alec, “Hey Alec, do you mind sticking around for a quick second. I need to talk to you alone.”

Both Marya and Tony look a little uncomfortable, but they leave the room along with Connor and Claire.

Alec sits down next to me. “What’s going on?” He looks at me with interested navy eyes.

I’m not sure where to start, but I know I need to tell Alec about his dad. “I saw your dad.”

“Really?” he asks. His face is neither filled with excitement by the news or disappointment. It’s something right in between the two emotions.

“Yes...” I look at him a bit uncomfortably and bite my lip.

Alec leans in towards me. “I can tell you’re nervous about saying something. What is it? Is he a Reaper?”

I shake my head sadly. “No, he’s not a Reaper. He’s connected with Zack. He helped him keep me hostage.”

Alec’s face contorts in anger. “Did he hurt you?” He puts his hand on mine.

I look down at our hands together. It doesn’t feel romantic, it feels like a friend concerned over another friend’s wellbeing. “He slapped me.”

“What?” He slams his other fist down on the table.

I flinch. “He’s not good, Alec.” Tears come to my eyes as I think about how Blake treated me. I think about my own father and how I could never fathom him doing anything like Alec’s father did. I know it will hurt for Alec to know this about his own flesh and blood, but he has to know.

Alec looks away from me for a moment, processing my words. I see his jaw clench. “I had a feeling he was in cahoots with Dr. Hastings...” He takes a deep breath and then turns to look at me. His eyes are filled with pain and betrayal. “I’m so sorry, Willow.”

I put my hand on his this time and shake my head. “It’s not your fault, Alec. You can’t control your family. I just wanted you to know. I wouldn’t feel right not telling you about it.”

He nods his head sadly. “I’m glad you told me. If I see that old man, we are going to hash it out big time. I can’t believe he hit you.”

“Don’t think about it, Alec. I’m safe now. I’m here. We don’t need to worry about your father right now. Just know that if you see him, he’s not to be trusted,” I say.

“I know.” Alec’s shoulders are slumped. I pull him into a hug. His feelings are strong and I have a hard time filtering them out. It’s one thing to be betrayed or disappointed by a person, but to have that person be your own father… it’s something that cuts your heart, a deep bleeding gash type of cut. We hug each other as tight as we can, finding solace in our hold. When he pulls back, he sniffs and tries to blink away the moisture that’s built in front of his eyes.

“We should go get ready,” I tell him.

“Yes. Don’t forget your coat.” He tries but fails to find a smile.

“Definitely!” I stand up and allow him to lead me out of the room.

Tony stays with Erik, at Erik’s request of course, while we go
pack. It doesn’t take long to get the few precious items I own. I pick up the flower ring Alec gave me so long ago. It has long since dried out, so the petals are very delicate. I put it back carefully in my journal and place it with the rest of the items in my backpack. Placing a hand in my back pocket, I feel my mother’s letter tucked safely inside.

I run into Candy and Jake outside my room. “Hey, Willow,” Candy says a little uncertainly.

“Hey, what’s up?” I ask, even though I have an idea of what’s up based solely on her emotions. I had asked Claire to go and see if Candy wanted to come with us. I can tell that she’s not ready for that yet.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I can’t go with you,” she says. Then she raises an eyebrow. “I guess you already knew that, huh?”

I know how much she hates me using my gifts on her. Even if my eye color didn’t give it away, Candy would always know what I’m doing. “Sorry...” I look down at my shoes and back up at her. “You are worried that Zack still has control of him, aren’t you?”

She nods her head. “I still have a hard time processing how badly my brother treated me the last time. I don’t ever want to see him or have any contact at all with him. He’s just like my father.”

“I understand. We are taking Tony away and we’ll make sure that Zack has lost the ability to control him. I hope after that, you will be able to trust being around him again. I don’t want that to hurt our friendship. Zack has already taken away too much from the two of us.” I try not to let my emotions get even more heightened at the thought of how many people Candy’s family has hurt.

Her eyes look sad as she nods her head. “I will. Please don’t tell Tony though. I don’t want him to feel bad. This has nothing to do with him.”

“I won’t say anything.” I give her a hug. I’m glad that it’s nowhere near as awkward as it used to be.